A Look at the bizarre ZARDOZ (1974)
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- čas přidán 23. 03. 2021
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You forgot to mention the main inspiration for the movie: Drugs. Lots and lots of drugs. The fact that he wrote this after visiting hippy communes isn’t remotely surprising.
If you don't watch this while on some hallucinogenic influence you're missing the point!
hahaha not true I'm sure you missed the point.@@kevinhendryx665
Boorman himself freely admits, in the DVD commentary---that he was stoned out of his mind while doing this film.
shit brother I just got legal mushrooms thanks for the recommendation
How Sean Connery kept a straight face in that costume is a mystery for the ages.
Those were the seventies, people walked in broad daylight wearing scarves, bell-bottoms, high-heels, wide leather belts, tie-dye shirts, silk, long hair, brass necklaces, tinted spectacles -- sometimes all at once.
Or sometimes nothing at all!@@jggouvea
A "crazy" film is not the same thing as a "bad" film. _Zardoz_ is legendary, unique, beautiful, ugly, completely nuts & does what good sci-fi is supposed to do: disturb you beyond all conventions.
Sean Connery turned down lead roles in Peter Jackson's _Lord Of The Rings_ AND _The Matrix_ because he "didn't understand the script" - yet Connery understood _Zardoz._ Hilarious.
No fkn actor understands a script maybe Oldman and Roth in Stoppard's Rosencrantz or Eric Braedon in Collossus but otherwise we don't expect that from ACTORS!
Shows you that Sean Connery had a taste for the bizarre. That could be why he was such a great actor.
I think he mainly understood that what he needed after the end of Bond was a job! Took a while to get reestablished. I suppose nobody dared ask him about ZARDOZ after a while. I wonder if he took that red diaper away as a memento?
i don’t think Sir Connery understood the script either. i think he was just desperate to do ANYTHING that is NOT James Bond.
the same way he was also desperate when he did “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.”
@@darthvirgin7157 the extraordinary irony of your comment, and by implication connery’s decision, is that Zardoz is basically the same role as bond. They are both killer slaves for immortal ruling classes. He played himself
If you get the real story behind the film you know that it is one of the best ever told. It is about transhumanism, AI and knowledge that always leads to new questions. in the end it praises thr concept of death to have an unpredictable lifespan to get something done. It also shows an analogy about classes from super beings to the brutals. This film is a true masterpiece.
PS: Don’t forget the fun Borman makes of religion! Out Gods could be created the same way. Just brilliant.
Borman doesn't make fun of religion he tells the truth, making fun would be stretching the truth and exaggerating but no he is spot on. No exaggerating at all. That is what makes it so brilliant, he doesn't lie about religion which is so rare nowadays.
I remember seeing Zardoz on tv in 1980 as a small child and it was one of those films that left a profound impression on me. It was that weird
Loved Zardoz. Didn't fully appreciate it until I was an adult. The Eternals living in a domed city reminds me of the elites that live in their gated communities. They use us common folk to wage war against each other.
The TV is Zardoz.
I don't agree with your comparison of the elites living behind a force field and upper middle class (or better) living in gated communities). The eternals shielded themselves off as the world descended in chaos. Anyone who has the cash (gained thru hardwork, inheritance or plain dumb luck) is welcome to move into a gated community. Ask Rev Wright or Maxine Waters. Everyone wants the safety of a gated community. I pay extra to live in a gated community. Work hard (or smart) enough and anyone in the USA can have that.
@@oldtymer9106 As a social worker, I help people with a diagnosis of mental illness find employment as part of their recovery process. Many of them have no family, have difficulty understanding and using basic technology, and struggle to hold onto even entry level positions because of their symptoms. If they're lucky, they have social security income to help them when they're out of work. It pays about $800 a month. Some of them don't have that, and they have to look for work, while also sleeping outside
@@oldtymer9106 it's a metaphor. plus the great philosopher manly p. hall in "the secret teachings of all ages" magnus opus, said that the world was ruled by a group of immortals.
This movie traumatized me as a youth. I was afraid to go outside for fear of giant floating heads and armed, hairy men in boots and Speedos.
I DON'T blame you!
So you lived in San Francisco I see.
I live in Australia where speedos are made. Never seen a pair that look like a nappy, have you? You lied just for likes, didn't you? You're lamer than this movie.! so lame so so lame...
You were, and I still am
I've always enjoyed this tale as it is full of mystery and intrigue; rich in irony and most satirical. Praise be to Zardoz!
The gun is GOOD!
The Penis is evil.
I remember hearing bad things about this film, & then only seeing the first 10 minutes of it, at a showing at my college years later, & got instantly hooked, & finally seeing the whole thing, when it was on VHS (I'm old), it's been one of my favorite films ever since...
I watched this late 70s! I thought it was brilliant!
And how high were you when you watched it, Ray?
Well I was 11 at the time so not very!
As a kid watching this for the first time, my sister asked what I was watching and I said that it's one of those LSD movies like 2001 a Space Odyssey. She said, Oh a Hippie Movie. That was normal back then because as kids we would watch Saturday morning cartoons and those live shows like HR Puffinstuff, Lidsville, etc and the Hippies would watch them with use all very stoned out of their heads early in the morning.
ANYTHING that came out of the Sid & Marty Kroft stable were ALL drug inspired! Esp HR Puffnstuff! WHAT a trip that show was!
However, a rather good example of American TV surrealism! (Something American story tellers are NOT adept @, & American audiences are not adept at understanding!)
I watched this late at night in the 80's on a black and white tv as a kid and I could not believe what I was seeing. A surreal movie with Sean Connery wearing a mankini with a pony tale and handle bar mustache. I mean dude 6:37... and 7:18.
Yes - the wife and I sat in stunned disbelief - Sean in a tutu! We did sit through the film.
@@johnzeszut3170 the final scene was so weird also ... spoiler below....
...
...
Sean and his wife just sat there facing the camera getting older and then turning into skeletons at the end.
@@davedogge2280 Yes - I remember that Sean's revolver was hanging by a nail on the wall getting rusty as time past - it was once said and I can not quote the source - that the movie was supposedly a remake of "The Wizard of Oz". It is still a must watch when televised.
I watched it a couple of months ago for the first time and was stunned by it. No one in Hollywood would ever greenlight such an odd, experimental film today. They have all become businessmen and have no courage.
@@johnzeszut3170 Wizard of Oz for adults it is indeed.
Thank god for the spirit of the '70s giving us films like Zardoz. They just don't make 'em like that any more, I know it's cliche' to say it, but it's true. It's almost 50 years later and people are still loving it, some scratching their heads at it, but still talking about it nevertheless.
Agree.Nearly all of my favourite movies & series are from that period (Battlestar Galactica, Space:1999, UFO, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Rockford Files, Columbo, Westworld/Futureworld... ) - our world has changed not for the better, which the media reflects, everything seems so cold and cynical these days.
There are people breaking new grounds that mainstream cannot go. PRIMAL by Genndy Tartakovsky.
@@Khultan I'll give it a look, thanks.
@@WizardOfAtlantis Keep in mind that PRIMAL goes into genres normally seen in live action movies. In my opinion this production picks up further than Ralph Bakshi. There are two seasons that you should see uninterrupted and hopefully you have a wide screen to get the full visual impact.
@@Khultan Ok, thanks.
I saw this as a 23 year old. And I loved it. I was bought up reading my father’s monthly sci fi book club entry. All the best Sci Fi authors of the 50s and 60s. Also one of my favorite movies ever is Clockwork Orange. So unusual Sci Fi movies did not turn me off like a lot of people.
Brought. (Unless you were SOLD by some1!)
I didnt care for Clockwork either.
@@speedracer1945 Horrorshow!
It seems like this film is slowly getting "rehabilitated." Which is good.
Every frame is eye candy. I watch Zardoz over and over the same way I enjoy art books with plates of masterpieces. .
What a completely bonkers film! Love it. 🥳
I saw this as a kid, as it was endlessly fascinating. It’s Stood the test of time and truly a great mind bending movie. They certainly don’t make surreal SF like this anymore! 🤯🤯🤯🤓🤓🤓
Agreed, now it’s all loud, noisy, flavourless cgi crapfests, I can’t remember the last sci-fi movie that really made me think.......Gattaca and The Matrix? But they were decades ago.
I, my Dad and Step Mom made the mistake of renting this psychedelic drug trip and watched it speechless thinking "what drugs were these people on." My step Mom confessed that she watch this movie in the 70s when she was doing drugs which made it make more sense to her at the time. So the consensus is "if you want to enjoy this film you might want to be highly medicated or on a drug trip."
Regarding Boorman's attempted "Lord of the Rings" production...he jumped the gun a bit and had several sets either built or in the process of being built when it was shelved. He turned around and used them later for Excalibur.
Where did you hear that?
@@Me4-gc8qs trivia from the movie Excalibur.
I was amazed by the film's strange futurism of immortals living in a time of no death yet bored to death by their own existence.
Sex may have helped them somewhat!
One of my favorites. Thank you for making this
Saw Zardoz at its original cinema release and loved it instantly. I was also completely alone in the cinema. Another eccentric and forgotten gem of a film.
I saw it on TBS one night after work when I was tired as shit but I watched the whole thing just to see what it was called
Thank you! Many interesting details I didn’t know about the production of this film. Fantastic work as usual.
Do I really need to know this? Yes I do! Thank you.
I saw it as a young lad at the Odeon, Leicester square. Then the largest cinema in London. Blew my little mind. I must rewatch. Thanks for the video
I saw it in a movie theatre when it was first released. I had been reading a lot of sci-fi (including British) back then. My first impression was that it was the first movie I had ever seen that felt like I was reading an experimental sci-fi book. I’ve also recently heard that the cast and crew continuously smoked marijuana during the filming and that added a lot to the atmosphere. (That may have also added to my enjoyment of the film)
I'm pretty sure the Immortals had marijuana plants growing in that lab
I, too, saw the movie back in 1973. It was a mind-blowing experience. And, like the movie's cast members, I was stoned, too. Hey, man! It's the only way to watch a movie like this.
@@clarencewalker3925 Saw the film on Creature Features on KTVU 2. Hosted by Bob Wilkins and later John Stanley. They did air this film several times.
Great video! There was allot of info I didn’t know and ZARDOZ is one of my favorite films. Thanks!✌🏻😎
I remember watching this on late night PBS when I was about 12 and having absolutely no idea what I was watching but being unable to stop watching...
...I wonder what my adult self would think of it...
Unless you are conflicted with where science is headed and elitist self-preservation agendas you may not be so entertained.
About the same. Confusing, weird, boring, yet you sit watching it in a strange way.
@@dartek14 ...Ok, we get it, you're a Trumpette.
Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Outland, The Name of the Rose, Robin Hood, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Zardoz! What a resume. RIP Mr. Connery.
*Outland not Outlander. Sorry but had to be done :-) ATB
.... If you get the chance, try 'Time Bandits' (1981).
Ahem, James Bond? That's a big part of his resume.
@@lamarravery4094 LOL, yeah, so big it goes without saying.
What I find interesting in Zardoz was the presence of a colony of immortals which were senile. Back in 1970’s this was an interesting idea, but today the developed world is slowly filling with nursing home which look after elderly patients suffering from dementia. I find this idea strangely disturbing.
Thank you for your work and time, one of my favourite sci-fi movie.🙏🇧🇪
Before the internet, when I was a kid, I loved this movie because it was so weird, and it had James Bond.
What you need to know is you need to drop acid before watching Zardoz lol.
A few JOINTS may be sufficient! (As well as less harmful!)
No actually you don't. You never understood the true meaning of this movie did you. It was about people like you who took drugs and thought they knew the answers to all the questions in the universe when sadly you don't. Only a moron would suggest watching this movie on drugs. Because you miss so much. I hope you watch this movie sober one day and truly enjoy it. If not oh well.
I grabbed this onxbox360 years ago, the only movie I ever bought digitally. Years later, I got a message that it was being removed from the list and would no longer be available to redownload. Lucky for me, I never removed it from my console. And a few weeks later,the DVD version turned up in my local oxfam store. Bought it to be sure I never loose it lol.
I'm just jealous of Zed's boots. Mine are not as good, and the lining is starting to disintegrate, though the suede is still good. Boots like those are hard to find, even harder to get without high heels for women.
I’ve always liked Zardoz. Very original
And we like you ... no doubt you are peculiar to your friends but somehow they keep coming around.
I had the DVD years ago which I wore out. One of my favs. Thanks for sharing this.
I saw it in 1977, an odd film but very watchable. I give Connery points for doing something so weird, though its clear, he needed the money at the time. I remember John Alderton in the film though he never made it to big stardom as I thought he might. The special effect of the floating giant head was impressive at the time. Its a kind of cult film today, so strange ...that you can laugh or scoff at it ...but watch it you do 😊😊😄
Did he do it because he needed the money? I read he was pretty well off from the deal he made to come back for Diamonds are Forever. He did it apparently because his career had stalled as he was caught up in the Bond stereotype and wasn't getting any other offers.
Sean Connery in a wedding dress!
That was a small scene and he was using it as a disquise.
Can you picture Sean Connery in the dress saying "My name is Bond, James Bond"
@@robertkeefer1552 in the movie he did look a bit uncomfortable. But he was supposedly being chased by a mob.
And that's not the worst part of this movie, Tom.
Charlotte Rampling, topless.
I love to see them running. I love the moments of their deaths - when I am one with Zardoz.
The gun is good!
But the penis is evil
it's esoteric and brilliant!
I've watched this movie like a dozen times and will probably watch it another dozen. I use it when discussing the impracticality of human beings being immortal. We weren't designed for that. At least not in this world.
It's also a great depiction of real world elite utopian, actually dystopian, proposals and their lack of wisdom which is doom to failure. Though some of the components are depicted in a artistic or symbolic way.
Great review. Also check out Connery's iconic 1895 Webley-Fosbery 'automatic revolver' that Seán has to cock with his left hand as the blanks don't have enough energy to work the weird mechanism.
I thought that was just to start it off (cocking the hammer) and then once it went bang on each trigger pull it auto-recocked the hammer?
@@LandersWorkshop Blank cartridges don't induce enough recoil.
@@deceptivepanther Damn, that's a shame.
@@deceptivepanther Thats what acting is for dear boy...
@@deceptivepanther It is a revolver, recoil does not operate the mechanism. They work the same with real bullets.
Really nice review and analysis, informative and engaging! Thanks for this!
Saw first in Austin, at college, in 1976. Didn't understand it much then, but the imagery and music stuck with me, and it continues to impress. Such an ambitious failure! But also a serious mind-bender.
I saw this when I was a kid, and then saw it again a few weeks ago. Great nostalgic piece of vintage cinema. So very enjoyable.
This was basically beyond "The Handmaid's Tale"
I bought this film on blu ray,Arrow video released it.
I will need this masterpiece on bluray as well. It's one of my favorite films, I wish there was an extended version of it.
I wanted the Arrow release buts its region 2 so I bought the Twilight Time release
Connery : LOTR makes no sense, i won't star if you get the green light from the studio.
Boorman : How about this one, it's called Zardoz
Connery : Oh yeah love it mate, makes perfect sense
I liked Zardoz! I first saw it as a kid on TV back in the 1970's
However. the Brutal's Orange/Red outfits really looked silly IMHO.
Zardoz was obviously way ahead of its time as far as its concepts, symbolisms, and striking visuals are concerned. Not many people understood the film, so it's little wonder it was so underrated when released in 1974. (Saw this on VHS back in the early 90s.)
Even so, it became a cult favourite years later. You'd have to watch the film several times, in order to grasp its meaning. 😎🎥
I guess I've just never been that high to "grasp its meaning".
As a child growing up in the 70's .Going to the cinema was just a part of summer. ZARDOZ was the double feature in every movie. So I literally seen ZARDOZ at least 20 times. As an 11 year old, I asked literally WTF? EVERY TIME I SAW THE MOVIE. It wasn't until I was in my twentysomething did I finally get WTF. lol
Well, I remember watching this as a 9 year old in the 80s. I was fascinated but had no clue what was going on 😂. I guess I have to watch it again some time.
Had a pack of a popular card game where you have a main card, and give the best (or worst) card in your hand to win. The main card was "mr president, theres an asteroid heading right for us, and only one man can save us." The card i played was sean connery in his zardoz outfit. 😁 i won that round.
GREAT Film!! DVD has Boorman audio-commentary track w/ Boorman himself, but Johnathan here has even more info that I had not heard before. It is True, Pure Sci-Fi in that it cuts all ties with the known world the viewer is familiar with and immerses them completely. Boorman is my favorite creator/director with this, 'Deliverance', 'Excalibur', and, for fun, 'Dave Clark 5 - Having a Wild Weekend'!! Thanks Johnathan.
Great job thank you Jonny! 👍🏼👍🏼
Didn’t know this movie even existed, I’m 49. And it’s got Connery in it. Wow, off to watch now. Great review dude!
I see we are missing the movie EMBRYO , particularly interesting collection of ideas and popular lore for it's time, it includes a great scene where Roddy McDowall plays a chess master getting his ass beat by Barbera Carreira.
Thanks for sharing. I always thought this movie was underrated and never got the credit it deserved. Watching it now you can see its a bit dated, but it does still hold up. Well worth seeing!
I caught this film late one Saturday night in the 80's. Loved it. Couldn't remember the title. Couldn't find it for ages. I have a digital copy now. Still love it.
Great video..for a great movie
This was my very favorite movie in high school. Our local theater often showed it on a double bill with Rollerball. It seemed for a dandy way for Sean Connery to shake his stereotyping as James Bond.
Oh, and I really like tour "UFO" music at the end, another of my 'peek into the future' faves.
Where are you my best pal. You probably went on to read, Ouspensky and Swift and Hegel and appreciate Chopra for insisting we don't really know anything of major consequence. and you gotta be a Ken Russell fan too
@@dartek14 Yeah no.
I was there the Seventies was a strange time for movies. What I find now is drinking before watching helps.
Great overview of the film!!! ;-)
One of the most engaging movie I have seen.
Jonny, you're really coming into your own
Great episode.
I reckon it needs to be watched twice over a month or so!
I'll watch this at least once a year. Been watching Fahrenheit 451 from 1966 a lot lately.
@@lamarravery4094 ......OH! and given the cancel culture of today, and like those five Doctor Suess books being pulled from publication, 451 is more than relevant to today than ever. Will never be on a "Gender Studies" reading list because too many are interested in censoring and getting rid of once popular novels.
I have a plaster mold used to make the masks for the film @1:30. It was mounted in the bar I worked at for years.
Have you ever made a mask from it? Brush in some "mask making latex", several layers of that, with some cheesecloth mesh pushed into the wet rubber, to give it more structure, without adding to the weight of it. let it dry thoroughly before removing it....
I would love to own such a treasure! Lucky Humungous :)
@@pheresy1367 I have not. Thanks for the info! One night behind the bar I was talking about Sean Connery's greatest film back in the early 2000s and one of my customers came in a few weeks later and said he found it online in Florida. No provenance on it but we didn't care. In the movie I'm not sure if the masks the tribesmen wear are rubber or paper mache. I think you're correct that they would be rubber, for durability. I'll try your process out. The mask should be sturdy enough.🖖
@@pheresy1367 We paid $75 for it. It became something of a legend with our regulars. Quick story why I even know this movie.
Back in the mid 80s I went with some friends to a 24 hour Sci-fi film festival at Amherst Cinema. About 2 am Zardoz came on, it's a long movie. Someone passed around a joint and I took a couple hits. I really got into the movie. When it ended and they revealed the source of the name Zardoz I stood up and yelled "WTF!!!". My friends started shushing me, telling me to sit down. Just a short outburst. People got a good laugh out of it. I think Barberella was on before Zardoz! What a trip.
@@tmseh Excellent! I love that stylized "reveal".
Barberella too. Jane Fonda at her best (appearance at least).... that character with the angel wings inspired my first costume.... long before becoming a professional costume designer/maker. That's why I know how to "slush cast" using a plaster mold.
Yeah... I'm old enough to remember all that, when it all began.
This is one of those films I've meant to watch many times but never got around to it. I may have to see if I can find it on a streaming platform and check it out tonight.
Here's a viewing tip, Ryan - take acid before starting the movie; then maybe it will make sense.
I saw this as a kid on BBC2 part of the ‘Moviedrome’ series with Alex Cox introducing each weeks cult movie.
Back then it was confusing, bonkers and a bit naughty to see a film as explicit as this, I must admit that I didn’t understand the story.
Over the years I’ve rewatched Zardoz a few times, it’s a fascinating film and very worthy of cult status.
Great video as always.
I saw this when it first came out-when I was a kid-and it took several more viewings in my adulthood to fully appreciate it. The world has degenerated into a wasteland, anarchy abounds, and the only ones who avoid this are a group of scientist/intellectuals who literally wall themselves off from the apocalypse and create a society of their own. Their evolution-or devolution-into overly spoiled immortals that have nothing left to challenge them, or even let them distract themselves with personal pleasures become doomed to live an existence of severe ennui.
Arthur-an immortal with a sense of humor-is out in the wasteland toying with the remnants of humanity-making himself into a god, complete with followers. These followers are instructed to cull the remaining humans and prevent them from over breeding, and therefor preventing a return to the world that spawned the apocalypse in the first place. Arthur, however, becomes bored again and begins to change the mission of his followers-making them 'civilize' and 'train' the dregs of humanity rather than simply kill them off. This change, this break with the fundamental mission of the god 'Zardoz', is what angers Sean Connery's Zed and makes him doubt his god, stow away within the great head, and discover his god's real origin and purpose. This break with his belief is what begins the story events and allows the immortals to finally achieve what they most crave-death.
Knowing this, the movie works-even within the weird costumes and visuals. I speculate that it may have been as a book, or seemed more complete within the mind of John Boorman's head, but the movie for me is a classic of bold film making and sophisticated storytelling.
I thought it was brilliantly original with some of the most striking visuals of any film at the time. Whatever one's critical assessment of the film, overall it represents a cinematic enterprise of genuine artistic risk that was so wonderfully characteristic of the 70s. It is part of a legacy that is worth cherishing. I'm so glad we as an audience now have it.
The whole aesthetic is just so bizarre...and jarring...
LOVE THIS FILM! Totally underrated.
Open your mind to Zardoz...
Well, we can see WHERE JJ got the look for the Nibirans in Star Trek:Into Darkness!
When I saw this movie in the 70's, I was immediately fascinated by it. I saw an article about it in a magazine called Famous Monsters of Filmland. (Forrest J. Ackerman)
The magazine tackled all kinds of sci-fi and horror movies and shows.
Now that I think about it, I really miss those issues.
The 1970s was the best decade for trippy sci-fi films. Logan's Run, Soylent Green, Planet of the Apes, The Omega Man...crazy stuff.
I’ve been preaching the gospel of this film for over 20 years. Praise be to Zardoz!
Jonathan - Great Review. Never knew wizard plus oz minus wi equals zardoz!
This is one of those movies that the more you see it the less sense it makes it's a wonderful and bonkers
The first time I saw Zardoz was just after it came out. I arrived late to the theatre, and missed the opening bit where Arthur Frain explains his predicament as his head floats around the screen. I really liked the movie. Then I saw it again, this time with the opening scene included, and to this day have decided that it is this Shakespearian intro sequence actually destroys the movie. It's much better if you don't know anything from the start, and enter with the floating head going through the sky, to the accompaniment of Beethoven's sublime and spooky 2nd movement of his 7th Symphony.
ZARDOZ was the quintessential double feature for the 1970's .... Planet of the Apes and ZARDOZ. Omega man and ZARDOZ... Soylent Green and ZARDOZ, along with Phantom of the Paradise
A weird film? Sure, but it dared to be different and asks pretty interesting questions: What would you do if you were immortal and became bored with life? How would society organize itself if there were such immortals? How would society deal with malcontents?
A movie can be just about anything but boring, and I was not bored by Zardoz. I might even dare say I enjoyed it.
Zardoz was a bizarre film when I saw it when it was first released. Almost 50 years later, it’s still a very bizarre film now.
Connery must have been really hard-up for a paycheck (OK, there was that Highlander movie too)
I've been a fan of John Boorman since I saw Excalibur back in the late eighties. Saw most of his films, and I've always thought there was a touch of weirdness in all his work; including Hope And Glory, which is more conventional. I only saw Zardoz recently, during the pandemic. What a strange trip. Visually it's outdated AF, but the plot is amazing food for thought.
For some reason I always wanted a Giant Zardoz head in my local Gun Range.
This film introduced me to Beethoven's 7th symphony!
Zardos maybe a cult film, but i still think it was good at the time, & i still do, it deserved more money to be spent on it though, sad it did not do well.
The people who don't like it don't get it . Those who get it like it . " and what makes you think YOU were not manipulated " .
I have watched Zardoz eight times....I love it.
I always thought the movie sucked since I saw it back in 1974 in Los Angeles when I was 16. Today, I'm stuck at home because of this damn virus. I watched it again , And , You know , It's not a bad movie after all.
Most young people don't get it, once you've lived a little and got educated, most people can comprehend and appreciate this masterpiece. I didn't get it when I was younger and a second viewing of it in college, made me see the light.
The themes of this film involved: a Futuristic Post-apocalyptic dystopian world, Population control, Immortality, Genetic engineering, Mind control, Cloning, Technology, ESP, Artificial Intelligence, Revolution, Religion, and Power.
Sure, the 60's or 70's style aesthetics was off...but the Plot was brilliant!
One of the strangest films I've ever seen.
Zardoz is one of the biggest mixed bags ever. I saw it as a kid when it first came out. I was a major Sean Connery fan, as well as a sci-fi nut. As a kid, the film left me cold, although I did enjoy some of it. A few years ago, I watched it again and really scrutinized it.
The movie had tons of interesting ideas in it. The problem was, it never really "gelled". The idea that society became as stratified as it could possibly be, that people could be locked into immortality and still be completely unhappy was interesting. But nothing is cohesive here, and some of the narrative will shift and can be quite jarring.
Boorman's time in a commune certainly seems to influence some of the scenes here, which sometimes comes across as a bunch of hippies who think they know much more than they do. Someone will stand up and start singing for no reason. There is jealousy and oddly placed empathy. The men and women seem interchangeable.
The good points are all the ideas presented. The cinematography is superbly atmospheric. The locations in Ireland seem at times unworldly. Acting is decent, although Connery sometimes appears to be struggling to keep a straight face in some situations. I particularly liked Sara Kestelman and John Alderton in their supporting roles.
The bad points completely outweigh the good, and that is this films failing. There are no characters that you care one hoot about. Everyone is unbelievably unpleasant. You don't care about Zed. The video here seems to indicate that Zed was an adventurer...."refuses to be oppressed" and "he embarks on a quest to expose the corrupt society he lives in". I don't know what movie the presenter here watched, but it wasn't "Zardoz". Zed didn't feel oppressed. He enjoyed slaughtering and raping...which frankly, is disturbing to watch. He is a total sociopath, and he simply reacts to what is happening to him, impulsively with violence or a response to sexual urgings. He simply wants to know where the flying head is going, and jumps on board, starting the misadventures. Sure the corrupt society is exposed, but he is simply along for the ride.
There is plenty of psychobabble, and some unintentionally preposterous scenes...such as a group of people wondering why Zed doesn't have a physical reaction to nudity, but apparently does looking at Consuella. And speaking of Conseulla, it is impossible to believe in her eventual relationship with Zed. The viewer cares little of either, and the conclusion, which certainly represents an ending, gives no satisfaction. I don't know of many films which show more executions consecutively.
There are all sorts of weird acts and odd things in the film. Zed about to rape a brain-dead woman in front of a whole group of other brain dead people, and discovering that her placidity makes it no fun, he throws her like a rag doll. He is coerced to enter a mirrored triangle just randomly placed in a grassy backyard, and you can tell he is walking down stairs which are hidden from view, and at the last moment throws his arms up and pretends to be falling as he goes down the steps. Hilarious. A woman is caught in a net and raped by Zed, and this scene replays over and over. There is a strange association with nudity....including naked women in plastic bags for some reason. There will be all sorts of wild rooms where thoughts are projected on walls like cinema, and right next to these places are dens and sitting rooms that are right out of 1973....if this was placed so far into the future such fitments from over three hundred years prior certainly would not look like that. The stone head representing Zardoz appears early in the film, vomiting forth thousands of rifles to be used in an upcoming slaughter. Viewing the interior of the head through Zed's eyes as he hitchhikes aboard, reveals stacks of various objects, baskets, and what appears to be a mound of grain, with absolutely no mechanisms that would launch thousands of rockets or anything else out its creepy mouth. It's like a Stone Age cave inside, yet it flies all over the country.
Any viewer save for the most determined will have several impulses to turn this film off while watching it. It can be a chore to slog through. I think the issue with the film is that there are too many themes, too many disparate groups, a confusing storyline, and simply very few things to enjoy. When the best part of your film is a stone head flying through space, you know you are in trouble.
Cut the BS. You think too much.
It is crap, but at least its bloody funny.
So you didn't like it?
Saw this movie when I was a kid and love it till this day.
Vampirella called and she said she wants her outfit back!
Luv this channel
Zardoz great when you are a kid and even better when you understand it.
great movie, it was made near my home in Ireland
I've never had the pleasure of visiting Ireland, but if the locations in Zardoz are any indication, it must be the prettiest country on God's Earth. You're lucky to live there.
This film dealt with many concepts that were in the public conscious back in the 1970s based on ecology. The Brutals were used by Zardoz to limit human reproduction as a solution to overpopulation. The Eternals lived as elites do, protected and hidden away in domed or gated communities away from the poor masses which are portrayed by the Brutals in the film. Zed, a Brutal finds his way into the Eternal domed community and discovers who Zardoz is and why he was created and is welcomed into the Eternal's society. But his presence unravels the order and spreads anarchy and chaos inside the domed community and destroys it.
It was doomed from its conception. Lack of foresight, wisdom, and observation of natural/universal order is always doomed to fail.
@@WAX1138 I enjoyed it, it was a visual achievement.
@@lamarravery4094 Me too. I love the film. I was talking about the utopia, really a dystopia, depicted in the film.
@@WAX1138 The Brutals, under the directions of Zardoz to kill other men to limit population isn't dystopian enough for you?
@@lamarravery4094 What are you arguing? I said it was a dystopia, both sides of the vortex.